Ferrari to launch 2016 F1 car online

The Italian Formula 1 team Ferrari is planning an online launch for its 2016 car, it emerged on Thursday.

Citing Italian sources, the Finnish newspaper Ilta Sanomat said the as-yet unnamed machine will be seen on the internet for the first time on 19 or 20 February, just days before the start of winter testing in Barcelona.

“Ferrari has not decided which of the team’s race drivers will test the car first,” the report added.

But Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari’s Finnish driver, said the only target for 2016 can be the world championship.

“We all know that Ferrari wants to win,” he said. “It will not be easy, there are a lot of strong teams and all of them have the same idea.

“Obviously, having done better in the previous year, we have more expectations for the next one, so we will give our 100 per cent to try to bring back the championship for Ferrari,” added Raikkonen, the 2007 title winner.

As for a firm prediction, however, Raikkonen would not be drawn.

“It’s too early to say. We can do our best but we can’t control what the others do, so we have to keep working the same way, always improving, then we will see where we end up,” he said.

“There’s no point to start guessing, we have to wait until the winter tests and the first race.”